Accepted Admissions Blog

For those of you who have not yet seen it yet, the Top Ten in US News this year are:

1.     Princeton University(NJ)

2.     Harvard University(MA)

3.     Yale University(CT)

4.     California Institute of Technology

4.     Stanford University(CA)

4.     Massachusetts Inst. of Technology

7.     University of Pennsylvania

8.     Duke University(NC)

9.     Dartmouth College(NH)

9.     Columbia University(NY)

9.     University of Chicago

How much should you use the above data?   Very little. The rankings themselves are fairly meaningless. What do they measure? What is the difference between #1 and #2 or #1 and #9. Do the criteria of the rankers match  your criteria? Without the answers to these questions, you shouldn’t use the rankings at all.

While the overall rankings may be fairly useless, the statistical data included with the rankings can be helpful. First of all, they give you an indication of whether you qualify for particular programs. Some of the specialty rankings may help you if they measure factors of importance to you. They also allow you to compare programs on a limited set of criteria.

But no one can rank the schools for you. No one.

Related Resources:

• Tips for Answering Common Application Essay Prompts
• This Is the 11th Grade College Planning Timeline That You Need to Get Accepted
• 3 Must-Knows for Finding an Admissions Consultant for Your Child